Self-closing shutter



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J. V. V. BOORABM. SELF .GLOQING SHUTTBR.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet` 2. J. V. V. BOORAEM. SELF CLOSING SHUTTER'.

Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN V. V. BOORAEM, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SELF-CLOSING SHUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,088, dated March 25, 1890.

Application filed January 4, 1890.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN V. V. BOORAEM, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self Closing Shutters, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement is designed for effecting the automatic closing of metallic shutters employed upon the windows and doors of buildings upon the occurrence of a fire within or adjacent to the building'.

The improvement also relates to means for securing the shutter in an opened position and automatically releasing it from said sec'uring device upon the happening of such tire. y

I will describe my improvement in detail, and then point out the novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a shut-ter and outline of a window embodying my improvement, the shutter being shown closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the shutter, the same beingshown open or in the position which it will occupy when swung back against the wall. Fig. 3 is a detail of a hinge member of one of the hinges for the shutter. Fig. 4 is a detail of the other member of the hinge. Fig. 5 is a modification of the hinge member illustrated in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a plan or top view of the member illustrated in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation of a catch for securing the shutter in an opened position. Fig. 8 is a plan or top view ofthe same.

Similar let-ters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.. f

My improvement is adapted to be applied to either shutters which are already in use or to new shutters. I will first describe the same when applied to newshutters, referring more particularly to Figs. l, 2, 3, and 4.

A designates a shutter, in this instance shown as inclosing a window A', having extending across it near its bottom a guard o, against which the shutter will be brought when closed, as shown in Fig. 1.

B B designate hinges for the shutter. 'The hinge B comprises two members Z2 b. The hinge member Z2 comprises a iiap which is secured by rivets or otherwise to the shutter and a head b2 at the outer extremity of the Serial No. 335,843. (No model.)

- flap and beyond the shutter. This head, as

Uponthe under side-1 shown, is cylindrical. of said head'there is formed a spirally-extending surface b3, extending for a distance about the head. A hinge-pin` b4' is either formed integral with or secured upon the head b2. The member b of the hinge is secured in any suitable manner to the wall of the building-as, for instance, it may be provided with a projection b5, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4,) which may be built in with the masonry of the building. Upon the upper side of the member b the same is provided with a spirally-extending surface bfi. The spiral surface h6 has in this example of my ilnprovement a portion lf near its upper extremity, which is elevated somewhat above the plane of the other portion of said surface. The spiral surfaces b3 19' extend in the same direction spirally. The memberb is provided with a suitable aperture 58, extending through the same, through which aperture the pin b will pass when the members are secured together. The pin b4 is of sufficient length to permit the member b2 to be elevated wholly above the member b without becoming detached from the member b. The hinge B comprises two members c c', the former comprising a flap secured to the shutter by rivets or otherwise, and provided near its other end with a head c2, bearing a hinge-pin c3, which latter extends through the member c', and is of sufficient length to adlnit of the raising of head b2 in the manner described without becoming detached from the member c. The member c is secured in the wall of the building in anysuitable manner.

Referring more particularly tol Fig. 2, D

designates a collar or sleeve, composed of any suitable metal fusible at a low temperature. Many of such metals are now sold upon the market. This sleeve or collar surrounds the hinge-pin c3, and is arranged between the head c2 of the member c and the member c. The weight of the shutter is borne by this sleeve. lVhen the sleeve is in position, the head b2 of the hinge B will be elevated wholly above the member b of said hinge. The shutter may then be opened and closed by hand in the ordinary way without any contact between the members h and b.

If, how- IOO ever, a lire should occur in the building or in an adjacent building the heat of which would be sufiicient to fuse the metal sleeve or collar D, the member c of the hinge B will drop downwardly, thus bringing the spiral surface Z13 of the member l) of the hinge B into contact with the portion DT ot the spiral surface h" on the member b. A screw action then ensues, by which the shutter will be automatically swung and closed, as shown in Fig. l. The spiral surface b3 contacts with the upper portion of the spiral surface b only, for the purpose of reducing friction. It might, however, contact with the whole of the spiral surface h6. The shutter will be closed when the members b c have reached their respective seats upon the members b c and the shutter will be held closed against accidental opening, for the reason that considerable force would have to be applied to force the shutter open against the resistance oilered by the spiral surfaces Ui bu. I have shown upon the shutter a bolt E, by which the shutter may be locked in a closed position. I have also shown a ring c, by which the shutter is opened and closed.

J designates a catch for securing the shutter in an opened position. This catch is pivotally hung near its rear end in a recess j, formed in a metallic piece J The catch may rock freely in said recess in an upward direction and downwardly into a horizontal position, but cannot swing below the horizontal position, for the reason thatiits rear portion, or that which is pivoted within a recess j, is provided with a proj ectionj?, which, when the catch has reached a horizontal position, will cont-act with the rear wall of the recess j, thus acting as a stop to prevent further downward movement of the catch.

I have shown the rear portion of the inetallic piece J as provided with an internallyscrew-threaded socket j, into which there is secured a screw jt Upon this screw, outside the metallic piece J', is a jamnut The rear portion of the screw is shown as jagged and extending within a lead pipe jf, which latter is suitably packed and secured in a socket j? within the wall of the building. By this construction the catch J may be brought nearer to or farther from the wall of the building by merely rotating it upon the screw ji. This adjustment is for the purpose of arranging the catch in proper position to engage the shutter. Vhen thus adjusted, the jam-nut j is jammed against the metallic piece J and will prevent the displacement of the catch.

lVhen the shutter in ordinary use is opened and swung back against the wall, the catch J will pass through the notch g,with which the edge of the shutter is provided, and will drop down over the metal forming the lower edge of the notch, thus holding the shutter in an opened position. To close the shutter, the catch J is raised by hand to release the shutter. If, on the contrary, the metal collar or sleeve D should become fused,the drop of the shutter occasioned thereby will au tornatically release it from thecatch. I prefer that a slight drop of the shutter should occur be fore the spiral surface bicomes in contact with the spiral surface l1. This drop will give an impetus to the shutter, which facilitates its rapid closing.

It will be `seen that by my improvement a verysimple and effective means is provided for automatically closing the shutters of a building upon the occurrence ot tire, which it is often impossible and unsafe to do by hand.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combinatiomwith a shutter,of hinges upon which said shutter may be swung, and a collar or sleeve of metal fusible at a low temperature surrounding the hinge-pin of one of the hinges and extending between the hinge members thereof, the other hinge being provided with spirallyextending surfaces upon its members maintained normally out of contact with each other, but adapted to come in contact and close the shutter automatically upon the fusion of said sleeve or collar, substantially as specified.

2. The combination,with a shutter,of hinges upon which said shutter may be swung, a collar or sleeve of metal fusible at a low temperature surrounding the hinge-pin of one of the hinges and extending between the hinge members thereof, the other hinge being provided with spirally extending surfaces upon its members maintained normally out of contact with each other, but adapted to come in contact and close the shutter automatically upon the fusion of said sleeve or collar, and a catch automatically released from the shutter upon the fusion of said sleeve or collar, substantially as specified.

JOI-1N V. V. BOORAEM.

Witnesses:

ERNEST HENRY JACKSON, HENRY INGRAHAM. 

